Dry, winter air can add up to lots of discomfort — and sometimes illness — for young children. These conditions exacerbate colds, ear infections, coughs, and itchy noses, as well as dry skin and chapped lips. It’s one thing to know what to do for the body’s response in winter; but it can be exhausting to get young ones to go along. Here are a few tips to help improve the dry conditions in your home, and ideas for encouraging children to stay healthy and well.

1. Try keeping your home at a slightly cooler temperature, and layer kids with clothing to keep warm. Less heat = not as dry. Use this as an opportunity to work with kids on dressing and sorting skills: buttoning, zipping, and pulling on pants and socks.

Run a humidifier in your home to help keep moisture in the air. Another simple solution, or to humidify a larger area, set a pot of water or tea kettle on the stove to steam throughout the day. Be sure to periodically check the water level, refill as needed, and turn off at night. For children preschool-age and older, it’s a great time to discuss the science of why the steam on the stove is visible (just like their breath outside in the winter), but the cool air from the humidifier is not.

3. Most parents know about nose spray, but getting kids to hold still while shooting saline up their nostrils is, well, difficult. Try letting them do it to you, or at the very least, let them see you do it to yourself. Also, find opportunities during the day to use other things as leverage. “After we’ve put this nose spray in, then you can have your snack.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, while humidifiers can help soothe dry air symptoms, parents should follow general guidelines on their use. Their site contains information on how keeping moisture in the air is good for cold symptoms, and gives guidelines for keeping humidifiers clean and safe for the whole family.

4. Use a vapor rub appropriate for young children. Spread it on when they’re ready for bed, add ten minutes to your bedtime routine, and use the extra time to read a few more books or play a short game as it starts to work.

5. Push liquids. Water helps thin out mucus so it can make its way to your child’s nose and out into a tissue. Try flavoring the water with a tablespoon of lemon juice, lime juice, or a few tablespoons of apple juice to get little ones to drink more.

6.Help your children decorate a small paper or zipper seal bag for their own special lip balm and trial-size lotion. At designated times during the day, set a timer and make a “race” of it. Get your chap stick on, rub in some lotion, and go back to play! Take the bags with you in the car, or pack them with a child’s belongings for daycare or preschool.

7. Teach good “anti-germ-spreading” habits, then reward them. Drop coins in a cup whenever you catch one of your children covering their mouth while coughing or sneezing, and washing hands without being reminded. Use the coins to purchase a treat, or use individual cups for children and see who gets the most.

8. For extremely dry, chapped skin and lips, try beeswax or goat milk products. Lotions and lip balm containing these ingredients can be soothing and effective against severe skin conditions.

Some children are prone to respiratory infections and ear infections in the winter, and a parent can’t always tell whether or not a child’s condition is serious. Coughs, Colds, and Ear Infections at AskDrSears.com is a great resource for parents on viruses, the common cold, and potentially serious infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. It includes thorough explanations of various kinds of infections, tips for evaluating your child’s symptoms, and helping decide when it’s time to see a doctor.